A twisted killer has a deadly riddle for DI Maya Rahman to solve in this pulse-racing thriller, the first in an addictive new series set in East London.

A headmistress is found strangled in her East London school, her death the result of a brutal and ritualistic act of violence. Found at the scene is a single piece of card, written upon which is an ancient Buddhist precept:

I shall abstain from taking the ungiven.

At first, DI Maya Rahman can’t help but hope this is a tragic but isolated murder. Then, the second body is found.

Faced with a community steeped in secrets and prejudice, and with a serial killer on her hands, Maya must untangle the cryptic messages left at the crime scenes to solve the deadly riddle behind the murders – before the killer takes another victim.

The fact that the author is an psychologist and a teacher makes this book more fascinating to read. The book follows Bangladeshi immigrant, DI Maya Rehman trying to solve the unexpected and mysterious dead of the headmistress of Maya’s alma mater. This book was a good paced book with refreshing choice of characters. The cultural representation is amazing as it shows how diverse are societies have become and how with diversity comes the good and not-so-good points of each cultural. The title of the book is apt too. When one turns a blind eye from a person in need, there might be consequences which one would not like, and may also lead to even deadlier repercussions. The only thing I found amiss was I found first 70% less twisty than the last 30%. I would have loved if the twists were a bit spread out, but then that’s just my opinion. Overall, this book is absolutely worth the shot.

Final Verdict:

Turn a Blind Eye by Vicky Newham gets 4 out 5 stars from me.

Thank you to author Vicky Newham for helping me get an ebook ARC through NetGalley.